Monthly prices, set-up fees, coverage and channels all compared
Both Sky and BT are broadcasting a number of Premier League games in 4k Ultra HD this season, but which subscription should you go for?
We weigh up the pros and cons of taking Sky TV and BT TV’s UHD offerings, comparing monthly prices, set-up fees, hardware, the number of matches you’ll be able to watch in 4k, along with other things like support for Dolby Atmos enhanced sound.
And, for those with seriously deep pockets, we’ll also look at the easiest way for you to get both Sky Sports Ultra HD and BT Sport Ultra HD – assuming you don’ t already have a season ticket.
As with our other Sky Sports, BT Sport and Premier League deals round-ups, we’re posting the standard, non-offer prices of services, except where noted.
To get BT Sport Ultra HD, you’ ll need the BT TV Max package and a BT Infinity Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) service.
However, in order to be able to watch BT Sport Ultra HD, BT says that your Infinity service needs to deliver “minimum download speeds of 44Mbps”.
While there’s no charge for the BT TV set-top box, whichever package you go for, there’s a charge of £50 for activation and £9.99 for delivery of the BT Smart Hub wireless router (if you choose to take that) .
Sky Sports Ultra HD vs BT Sport Ultra HD: How many Premier League games will be shown in 4k?
Sky will show 124 of the 126 Premier League games it has broadcast rights to in the 2017/18 season.
BT Sport will show all of its 42 live Premier League games in 4k Ultra HD.
Sky Sports will be showing every practice, qualifying and race of the Formula 1 2017 season, as well as live test cricket in Ultra HD.
BT Sport will show selected FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and Europa League football, Aviva Premiership Rugby, MotoGP and FIM Speedway races and PSA squash games in Ultra HD.
Sky Sports Ultra HD vs BT Sport Ultra HD: What about frame rates and colour depth?
At the time of writing, both broadcasters’ 4k Ultra HD coverage will be shown in/at:
Specifications-wise, you’ ll also need a 4k Ultra HD TV set with at least one HDMI 2.0 port; older sets with the outdated HDMI 1.4 spec – which can only support 4k video at up to 30fps – won’ t work with either service.
This season, both Sky and BT will support Dolby Atmos, which makes for a more immersive, layered sonic experience, adding multiple levels of audio from players and crowds as well as clearer sound in general.
BT launched Dolby Atmos support earlier this year, with Sky eventually following suit. Those who have yet to pick up a Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar or system capable of supporting this should keep an ear out for the Sky Soundbox, a Sky-branded Devialet speaker that’s going on sale later this year.
While Sky’s arguably always going to have the better offer, by sheer virtue of the fact that its got more Premier League games, if you’ re a 4k petrolhead and you care about having the best quality first, you should note that BT was not only first to add Dolby Atmos support, it also beat Sky to the punch by offering 4k content almost a year in advance. Not only that, BT was the first UK broadcaster to offer any 4k content at all.
The head start BT’s got means that there’s a better chance you’ ll benefit from future enhancements like HDR support first, though that’s not to say that Sky couldn’ t steal a march here.
Then again, this season Sky’s launching a neat ‘watch from start’ feature, which means if you’ re late to the start of a game, a quick press of the red button on your remote will bring up an option to take you right back to the kick off.
Additionally, you can also get Netflix’s 4k content through your BT TV bo x, something Sky doesn’t currently let you do.
Right now, it’s not possible to watch both Sky and BT’s 4k coverage through one set-top box.
Assuming you’ re rich enough to afford to pay for both, not to mention a 4k TV set, here’s how you’ d go about getting this set up – or rather, here’s what your personal assistant would have to order.
Grand monthly total: £112.99/month
Total one-off fee: £128.99
